A 360-degree assessment of teaching effectiveness using a structured-videorecorded observed teaching exercise for faculty development.

BACKGROUND: Filming teaching sessions were reported in the medical literature in the 1980s and 1990s but appear to have been an underreported and/or underutilized teaching tool since that time. National faculty development programs, such as the Harvard Macy Institute (HMI) Program for Educators in Health Professions and the Stanford Faculty Development Center for Medical Teachers program, have attempted to bridge this gap in formal instruction in teaching skills through microteaching sessions involving videos for self- and peer-assessment and feedback. OBJECTIVE: Current video-feedback faculty development initiatives are time intensive and impractical to implement broadly at an institutional level. Further, results of peer feedback have not been frequently reported in the literature at the institutional level. Our research aims to propose a convenient and effective process for incorporating video analysis into faculty devleopment programs. DESIGN: Our work describes a novel technique using video-recorded, simulated teaching exercises to compile multi-dimensional feedback as an aid in faculty development programs that promote teaching-skill development. This research evaluated the effectiveness of a focused teaching practicum designed for faculty in multiple specialty departments with large numbers of older patients into a geriatrics-based faculty development program. Effectiveness of the practicum is evaluated using quantitative scoring and qualitative analysis of self-reflection as well as peer and trainee input. RESULTS: VOTE sessions demonstrate an important exportable product which enable faculty to receive a detailed 360-degree assessment of their teaching. CONCLUSION: This intervention can be easily replicated and revised, as needed, to fit into the educational curriculum at other academic medical centers.